Severn Barrage plans ‘could be put through Parliament next year’

The Neath MP told the Western Mail that the main issue in the ongoing discussions with officials was the question of the price support that would be available for the electricity the barrage produced.

And he pointed out that the cost of any price support would be offset by the savings made in flood protection, which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has estimated could be as much as £500m a year.

“We saw [Energy Secretary] Ed Davey last week and we’re engaging with officials together to go through some of the details, in particular the contractual details for renewable energy price support. That all takes a little time,”